XL Foods dumps tonnes of meat at landfill

Disposal comes after widespread recall of E. coli tainted beef

Posted: Oct 21, 2012 4:38 PM MT

Last Updated: Oct 21, 2012 5:57 PM MT

XL Foods took about 500 to 600 tonnes of beef to the industrial section of the Newell County landfill to dispose of the meat under supervision of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (CBC)

XL Foods has dumped hundreds of tonnes of frozen beef into a landfill in Brooks, Alta., after a massive recall of E. coli-tainted beef linked to its plant.

The company took about 500 to 600 tonnes of frozen beef to the industrial part of the Newell County landfill, all under the supervision of Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials, over the weekend.

The company is expected to dump more beef on Monday.

The beef product in the boxes is mostly frozen ground beef and trimmings such as heart and tripe, but so far no high quality cuts.

Ray Juska, landfill manager at Newell County, says his crews are putting dirt onto the meat.

“It’s to keep out vectors, primarily seagulls is what we have here, and it’s also a requirement of the CFIA so nobody can go back and help themselves to some off-spec meat,” Juska said.

He’s also hoping that his contribution will help the company and its workers get back to work.

“We’re a waste disposal facility associated with Brooks and area and really what the big issue here, aside from what’s happening to Brooks and to XL, is what’s happening to the people that it’s affected,” Juska said.

“And it’s had a pretty substantial impact and now that a lot workers are laid off and the longer it goes on the greater it’s going to be. So, we’re really hoping by accepting this material that we’re part of the solution”

It’s not clear how much beef XL Foods will have to clear from the plant in order to have the CFIA reinstate its license following the recent E.coli outbreak and massive recall of 1,800 products.

The CFIA said last week that XL Foods would destroy all of the beef involved in a massive E. coli recall in Canada and the United States.

The agency also said that up to 5.5 million kilograms of meat stored at the Brooks plant and warehouses that wasn’t part of the recall would either be rendered or cooked at a high temperature to kill any E. coli.